Newbie looking for Ponsfords

[sponsford]

Hello,

I've been looking into my family history for about a week and have made great progress.

Going up the male line, the earliest record is 1841 census of John Ponsford aged 16 in Spaxton, he marries Ann Burgess in 1849, I think the only way to go back further there is to try to find their marriage certificate.

Would also like to trace my grand mothers family, this I find trickier online as she was born in 1907 in Pontypridd and I can't get census information for her as an adult. Her name was Annie Rowena Davies but I do not know her parents names.

Anyway I have a lot of information assimilating to do before I need to try a new approach.

Stew

[lizdb]

Marriage
Oct/Nov/Dec 1849
Bridgewater ref 10 557
John Ponsford / one of brides Ann Burgess

certs can be ordered online from www.gro.gov.uk quoting above ref

getting his marriage cert will give a fathers name - but have you got that from 1841, was he with parents?

Hopefully from later censsues you have his year and place of birth. You will then need to look at Parish records to look for a possible christening for him, and then for other siblings, hoping to work back to a parents marriage.
If you can do, it is great to go to the local record office yourself and look through the parish records.

For Annie Rowena. Getting her birth cert will be the next step, it will give both parents (hopefully) and a maiden name for mother.
You have obviously found her birth from FreeBMD - so as before you can order the cert online quoting the ref
Oct/Nov/Dec 1907
Pontypridd 11a 575
Annie Rowena Davies

[sponsford]

Thanks Liz,

John and Ann were both living as servants in the same household, no other Ponsford's or Burgess (Ann) were there at that time. So not sure where they came from yet. Along the way found some interesting stuff about the place Spaxton and religious cults at that time.

[Jeuel]

Hallo sponsford

congratulations on what you've found so far.  I've been at this lark over 10 years and there are still things I can't find!

It really is worth getting certs where you can to provide information to take your researches further.  It's only too easy (been there and done it!) to make assumptions from census info and go barking up the wrong family tree.

You might find it helpful to post your separate queries about the Ponsfords and Annie Rowena (be grateful for that less usual middle name!) on the relevant county boards on the England and Wales forums.

Good luck.

[lizdb]

John and Ann were both living as servants in the same household, no other Ponsford's or Burgess (Ann) were there at that time. So not sure where they came from yet.

so have you not got John and Ann on later censuses? .... how do you know his wife was an Ann? (thus leading to the John/Ann marriage)

[sponsford]

John and Ann were both living as servants in the same household, no other Ponsford's or Burgess (Ann) were there at that time. So not sure where they came from yet.

so have you not got John and Ann on later censuses? .... how do you know his wife was an Ann? (thus leading to the John/Ann marriage)

Yes I have John & Ann and their children on census from 1841 to 1891 then they dissappear - presumbly passed on or moved.

I know Ann is Johns wife because I worked backwards from my grand father Howard Ponsford in Cardiff, who had a brother Horace.
Its not too difficult finding Howard & Horace's correct family as it is a very unnusal set of names!

Froim there I traced back their parents Richard & Minnie - again not too many Richard & Minnie Ponsfords in Cardiff. But Richard is born in Spaxton so it all came together.

[lizdb]

so you will have a place and approx yr of birth for him, to make a start on PArish Records.
The IGi (free at familysearch.org) is a useful place to start, not complete, and entries described as 'submitted' can be no more than a bit of imagination sometimes, but generally a useful tool.

[sponsford]

so you will have a place and approx yr of birth for him, to make a start on PArish Records.
The IGi (free at familysearch.org) is a useful place to start, not complete, and entries described as 'submitted' can be no more than a bit of imagination sometimes, but generally a useful tool.

I believe he was born 1825 but haven't found proof of birth or death. I think his marriage cert is the next step.

Thanks for your help - Stew

[sponsford]

Actually just read a post about checking census entries before and after and in 1841 the page before John & Ann there appear to be a few more "Burge" , I think Ann lists herself as Burge then later on Burgess. Wonder if she is related to them?